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FYS 100 - From Cy Young to Cyborg: Mathematics in Sports and Gaming


Subjects: First Year Seminar

If You're on the Open Net - get your 'skeptic' on

Skeptic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

..If you plan to use open/free resources found on the internet for an academic task, question the source and verify the data/information.

..A few tips:

..Authority & reliability: remember to check the "About us" file or "Mission" statement to find out who's running the show and verify that the editor/author/organization has some expertise in the subject being presented. 

   Consider: 1) whether you recognize the author or know of their reputation; 2) whether you were following a recommended link from a site you know to be trustworthy; 3) whether the author's credentials are listed on the site & can be verified; 4) whether the author supplies contact information where you can obtain more information.


..Credibility: facts presented that cannot be corroborated in other sources you know to be trustworthy should be treated as suspect.


..Bias: not always obvious.  Everyone knows that a 'dot com' is a commercial site that is probably trying to sell you something.  But people, organizations, governments, and other entities also "sell" ideas: believe our story; see it OUR way; these are The Facts (or at least the ones WE like and we'll just ignore the others).  Be aware that persuasion and advocacy are forms of bias: even worthy organizations like the American Cancer Society are trying to persuade you to their way of thinking.

 

If you want to “hedge your bets” when searching the web, consider adding "site:edu" or "site:gov" or "site:org" to restrict your results to colleges & universities, or the US government, or non-commercial organizations, though not all "dot org" sites are non-profit organizations

This video produced by UMass Dartmouth Library, Evaluating Internet Sources, presents a more detailed strategy for evaluating the usefulness of web resources for your academic research.